This means very little in the grand scheme of things, but I think it’s great fun: Andy Martino of the Daily News, who is down at the GM meetings, tweeted a quick thumbnail assessment of the demeanor of each Mets managerial candidate the moment they came out of their second interviews with Alderson and company:

He added earlier that, not surprisingly, they all said that they thought the interview “went well.” Just like those “successful surgeries” I go on about from time to time, I’d just once love to hear someone come out of an interview and say “Oh, it was terrible. I totally blew it. When he asked me where I saw myself in five years I accidentally mentioned that novel I’m working on and it all went down hill from there . . .”

Again, meaningless stuff. But I’m way more interested in hearing this kind of thing than having cliches dutifully repeated.

My order follows below:
If they hire Backman, I’m going to quit being a Mets fan. (I stand by this)
If they hire Collins I’ll throw up but remain a Mets fan.
If they hire Melvin, I’ll applaud.
If they hire Hale, it’s the happy dance for me!

Aww ChrisNy, don’t get heated over it and chase away fellow fans, they have enough trouble trying to fill the seats as it is!!! Man can’t he just have a different opinion. I like Mr. Met myself. He’s the kind of guy that can take a team places… He knows how to win.

chrisny3 - Nov 18, 2010 at 4:51 PM

Mr. Met is better than the Philly Phanatic. Hands down. Though the Phanatic ain’t too shabby.

As for lower attendance, the higher prices (and reduced capacity) are a big reason. Ticket prices are ridiculous.

I thought it was the fans showing they were ticked at management. And the Phanatic is the best mascot of any sport. Period. I know this because it was the only thing Philly fans had to hold onto for YEARS. “Woo Hoo! Phanatic!, He’s number one, Forbes best! Woot!” Yeah it was quite sad come to think of it.

chrisny3 - Nov 19, 2010 at 7:17 AM

No, part of it was the losing, but at the root of it is the higher ticket prices and decreased capacity. Even the Yankees are down in attendance by over half a million since they moved into their new stadium.

Mr. Met is the best. Put him in a cage match with the Phanatic and it’s a slam dunk victory for Mr. Met.

Conan featured a special on Mr. Met after Beltran was signed. Word has it, The Phanatic taped it and sent it in to him. Warning NSFW!!!!

chrisny3 - Nov 19, 2010 at 10:52 AM

Haha, I’ve seen virtually all of Mr. Met’s acting roles, including that one. See, that’s what makes Mr. Met such a standout among mascots — he’s not just a star on the field, but off it as well. Letterman, Conan, ESPN commercials, you name it, Mr. Met has done it. The first real cinema luminary in mascot history!

I wanna know what the evidence is for ‘most Mets fans want Backman’ and that even if such evidence existed, why should management give a damn if their goal is to win games(which inevitably pleases fans much more than who the field manager is)?

Here’s why management should give a damn — we pay their salaries, ultimately. Yup. In a way, we are their bosses. Kinda.

And of course the goal is to win games. But I bet Alderson will be the first to tell you that picking a manager isn’t an exact science. There are no Ultimate Manager Ratings (or UMR/150, lol) to look up. You go by gut and instinct. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. So if it comes to the point where he can’t say in his own mind that any of the other candidates would have a much better chance to win than Backman, then it might be a smart move to go with a fan favorite.

And while Alderson is not going to let fan opinion dictate his choice, you better believe he’s going to take it into serious consideration,